Gregor and The Hunters
by J.Lynn Collins
Summary: Greogor is asked down to the Underland to solve who has been killing every creature in it
1. fighting

**I don't own TUC only the characters not originally stated and the plot. Hope you enjoy**

Luxa sat next to Aurora taking comfort in her fur. _Why must they send Howard?_ She vengefully thought. _I am the one who knows the Overlanders the best what makes him such a good choice? "_Why did they not choose me to fetch the Overlander from above?" Luxa felt Aurora's sides go in and out as she laughed.

"Because they want the Overlander not his head if he should refuse."

"He must come!" Luxa roared jumping away from her bonds' side. "With every one losing their light, he can not refuse! No one is spared from this …this …creature, which can kill five rats and leave not a trace of its own blood! How many have died! How many countless numbers have died from this …this phantom?!" Luxa paced up and down the small cave trying, in vain, to release her anger.

"Please, sit. Your leg…" Aurora purred sweetly. Luxa felt the scar that ran down her right leg. Though it was only a superficial would, she swore she could fell the pain of those that had died by her side as she tried to fight of the creature that attacked them. That is when they first knew the deaths that had been spreading like a plague through the Underland had been caused by a creature. But that was the extent of their knowledge, every thing else was cast into shadow. They did not even know the creatures species. Luxa could only give one more clue to the puzzle and that was the creature had used a weapon and echolocation, like Ripred, her other bond.

"Did you bring any food?" Ripred asked as he entered the small cave. "I certainly hope you didn't leave your bond to starve. And if you're going to interrupt my guard duties then I think it wise to bring something to compensate me. Don't you?" He said sarcastically.

"We have no food and we were unaware of your future presence here. We shall delay you no longer." Luxa snapped.

"You're going to have to get over the fact that you weren't chosen to go to the Overland, _Princess_. You know this is only a request for Gregor to come not a demand which you would have made it." Ripred said as Luxa mounted Aurora. He wanted to say more but she had already flown away. He watched the streak of gold fly out of view before he continued his rounds.

Following orders from the council, Ripred was to check the human Rat border for ay signs of the phantom that had killed untold numbers of rats. What really ate at him was the number of she-rats and pups that had been killed. They had not been given a chance; many had been drowned in the river or diced within an inch of their light. _Not even King Gorger or Bloodfang would have treated their victims the way this menace has done! _Ripred growled at the dark. _What was that?_ Ripred sniffed the air again and this time blood tainted air filled his nose. He quickly raced down the tunnel following the strengthening smell of blood. As he got closer he heard the snaps and growls of at least three creatures fighting on the bank of the river. He had to fight hard to keep from raging and even though he kept it at bay it pulsed through his veins like a slow acting poison. As he emerged from the tunnel he saw three humans and two rats fighting a black mass that seemed to hover in front of them. It lashed out at anything close enough with quick confident moves.

Before Ripred could even let go the barriers in his mind to release the rager part of him three bodies dropped to the sand. Delicate cuts crisscrossed their body, and with his rager sense aiding him, he could see that each cut was inches deep and hit a vital area of the body. _Time to end this_! Ripred thought as plunged into the battle releasing his rager sense completely.

**Please, Please review! But don't just say "I love it", "I hate it". Tell me why. I can't fix what I don't know is broken and I can't keep what I don't know is good. **


	2. questions

**I have seen every one else writ this at the top of there story so I thought I would do it too. I don't own The Underland Chronicles or any of the original characters , only the characters I create and the story line I have made up.**

There was a knock at the door. "I'll get it!" Gregor yelled. _I wonder who it could be._ He thought as he turned the knob. When the door swung open his jaw nearly fell to the floor.

"Hello Overlander." Howard said with a slight bow. Gregor quickly looked up and down the hall of the apartment to make sure no one was watching and then quickly escorted Howard inside.

"What are you doing here Howard?" _Not another Prophecy! Please not another Prophecy!_

"The Underland is in great need of your help. There has been…"

"Hi you!" Boots squeaked as she saw the two entering the living room. She quickly jumped out of her sister's arms and ran to hug Howard's leg, which was the only part of him she could reach.

"I certainly have missed this little pup!" Howard said as scooped up Boots.

"What is it you need, Howard?" Gregor said, getting more worried as time ticked by.

"You may be calm Overlander there is no Prophecy. But a great plague has come over the Underland, one that effect every creature and no one knows what it is. It does not seem to be a disease but a hunter." Howard said, growing ever more solemn. "I have not come for you Overlander but your sister." He turned to Lizzy who sat curled in a chair, a frightened expression on her face.

"Me? Why me?" She asked. Howard walked the few paces to were Lizzie sat and after letting Boots go, kneeled in front of her.

"I know this is scary to you but you were of such a great help with the Code of Claw that the whole of the Underland is certain you can help solve this riddle." He said as sweetly as if he were her father chasing away a bad dream.

"Gregor?" Lizzie asked glancing from Howard to her brother, tears forming in her eyes. He quickly went to her and grabbed her hand.

"This is up to you Lizz, I can't decide for you. But if you choose to go then you know I'll be there."

"And Ripred has sworn not to leave your side." Howard added. Lizzie firmed her chin and looked form one boy to the other.

"I'll do it, as long as mom will let us go." She said.

"No! No! No!I almost lost you down there I will not let you go again!" Grace cried.

"Mom people are dying if we don't go more are going to die!" Gregor tried to reason with his mom but nothing worked. After hours of deliberating they had gotten no where.

"I can't stand the thought of losing you! Not again!" Grace state firmly.

"Mom, we're going down there to solve a puzzle not to fight. I promise you mom if fighting starts I will take the first exit out of there and get us home!"

"I would make sure he was kept to his word." Howard added, speaking for the first time in hours. "If... Or when I see fighting I will do all that is possible to get your children back to the surface. The council was clear that they only need someone to help solve the problem that eludes us, not another fighter in our army." Howard maintained a deep respectful bow as he spoke to Grace.

"Please get up." Grace said, feeling uncomfortable with the gesture.

"Mom, please I want to help." Lizzie said, timidly grabbing her mother's hand and giving her a reassuring squeeze.

"You _promise_ to keep them safe?" Grace asked Howard

"With my light." Howard swore. Grace sat at the table; expression after expression chased its way across her face. After many long moments of quite she spoke.

"Then…they may… go." and she quickly left the room. All three stared after her; mixed expressions of gladness and sadness covered their faces.

"I guess were heading down to the Underland again." Gregor said quietly

"Beeg Buggs! Beeg Buggs!" Boots yelled as she danced around the kitchen. She knew as much as the others were they going.

" Umm…Howard …is there any reason she needs to come?" Gregor asked, a look of deep concern on his face.

"Hazard would like to see her again but no, no true reason binds her to this trip."

"Sorry Boots but you're not coming with us." Gregor said.

"Me come! Me beeg girl!" She said.

"She's gotten a little cocky since she turned three a few days after we left the Underland… has it really been three months?" Gregor said, half to Howard half to himself. " Your not coming Boots and that's final." Gregor said to the screaming toddler in front of him.

* * *

"Beeg buggs! Beeg Buggs!" Boots sang as they road to Regalia. Two bats named Mercury and Cetus carried them. Mercury was a small deep blue bat just big enough for Lizzie and Boots to ride. Cetus on the other hand was quite large, not as big as Ares had been but still large. Her coat was green with black spots. Mercury enjoyed diving down and listening to Boots giggled in excitement, though he was sure Lizzie didn't quite appreciate it as much.

"Hey Mercury! He called over to the bat. "Would you mind staying within my sight, it scares me not to see my sisters." Mercury seemed to get the hint for after that her dives were not as steep or frequent. "How much longer till we reach Regalia?" He asked Howard.

"Soon, though you will not like what you see." and indeed he didn't. As they came upon the city, Gregor couldn't hear any sound. The arena was completely empty; no training, no games, no nothing. As they entered the city walls he couldn't hear any sounds you would expect to hear in a city; children playing, people talking, and the general hub bub of life. There was nothing but quite. Gregor didn't know what to think as the bats circled over the city before coming in for a landing at High Hall.

"It's good to see you again Overlander" Luxa said as she entered with the members of the council. Gregor noticed a slight limp in her walk.

"So the whole representative thing worked out?" Gregor asked he looked around the room to find many of the faces he remembered being elected to the post.

"Yes, though the original kings and queens still hold some power to help carry the burden of the representatives, though it is not what we had before." She informed him. Gregor couldn't tell if she loved or loathed the idea.

"Please come, the baths have been prepared so you could…" the servant was cut off buy the sudden appearance of Ripred. His fur was torn, blood was every where and on his back he carried a small package that he angrily threw to the ground.

"I have found our Killer! Explain this, your highness!" He said indicating the package. As he did it began to squirm and throw off the blanket that covered it to revel a girl not much older in size then Gregor and Luxa. Her pale yellow hair stuck out from the hood she wore which kept most of her face in darkness. The little skin they could see from her thrashing arms was a strange combination of the iridescent Underlander skin and the pigmented Overlander skin.

She managed to spit the gage out of her mouth and as she did she growled. "Release me! They are coming, you must release me!" As she began to repeat her cry, many other howls joined in making the whole of Regalia shake with the lion like roars which only amplified as they bounced off each stone surface and seemed to grow.

**Please, please review! And please don't just tell me "I love it", "I hate it". Tell me why. I can't fix what I don't know is broken and I can't keep what I don't know is good.**


	3. Blood

Gregor Ran for the balcony, Luxa tight on his heels. As they peered out over the city, they saw five giant cats that towered over every building in Regalia. Gregor watched in horror as creatures vanished down a grey tabby's throat like flies. The screams began to reach the palace as Gregor glanced between the enormous cats and the strange girl he held captive. Her ravings rang in his ear, "Release me! You must release me!" Dulcet had entered the room and now kept Lizzie and boots from seeing or hearing what was happing. Just the sound of the cat's growl made Gregor's blood run cold.

Ripred bent over the small figure in front of him and quickly bit threw her ropes, being sure to take skin with it. As soon as the girl was free of her bonds she ran for the window. Luxa and Gregor stepped out of the way as she jumped off the balcony and into the waiting teeth of a calico. Gregor became queasy as he saw the girl rearrange herself in the cat's mouth to avoid the ten inch, dagger-like fangs. She looked like one of those prisoners Gregor had seen in his history books that had been kept with their head and arms in a wooden contraption so everyone that passed could stare at the face of the criminal. Lizzie ran from Dulcet's arms to watch the retreating figure of the cats.

"You have giant cats down here! Man, what the heck else do have, alligators, wolves? Anything else that can eat us in one bite?!"

"Gregor we did not know of these…these cats as you call them. We are in just as much sock as you!" Luxa yelled. "If we want to catch her we will have to leave now!" Luxa ordered leaping on to Aurora.

"Wait!" Lizzie was red in the face from nerves but stood her ground. "I don't think she's what you think she is."

"How can that be Overlander. I have witnessed her killing myself. I know exactly what she is!"

"Didn't you see her scars?" Lizzie looked form one face to another, trying to find acknowledgment.

"She fights and kills. It is no surprise she has scars!" Luxa fumed.

"I've seen Gregor's scars." Lizzie said shaking her head. "There is a difference. These covered her skin and …and…" Lizzie gently rubbed her head in search of the right words. "Those scars, I have seen them before. When Gregor and I were little we had a pet cat but she was mean and bit and scratched us all the time. I still have her teeth marks on me. The marks on the girl...they…they look like mine. Those fights she has been in aren't the reason for the scars. The cats are. They've been hurting her."

"What does this have to do with the situation at hand?!" Luxa knew they would never find the girl now.

"Tell me…tell me about the deaths." Lizzie asked averting the angry princess' gaze. Gregor stood between the two, not knowing exactly what to do but ready to stop Luxa if it came to blows

"She's right." Ripred said coming up behind Lizzie. "There was something funny about when she fought; like each move was hesitant even though she could fight better than a rager." Turning to Lizzie he asked, "Are you sure you want to hear this." Lizzie wrapped her arms around her body and thought for a while. After a few minutes had ticked by Lizzie dropped her arms by her side, her hands in fists, and nodded to Luxa.

"You may want Boots not to ear such things." Dulcet quietly said to Gregor. He nodded and Dulcet led Boots to the nursery. Then the three got seated on the balcony as Luxa began to talk:

"Truth be told; many times there was not a body to be found, just blood. A lot of blood. We began to know of the deaths when in a week twenty people were found missing and five bloodbath sites had been found, all with the blood of one or two of the people told missing. Our minds went immediately to the plague or rat attacks. But we soon dropped the thought of the rats being the culprit as mostly rats were showing up missing.

"As we began to examine the sites were we found the blood, our doctors noted that they knew of no disease that would cause such a shower of it. There for, both our original thoughts were deemed incorrect. The council set up patrols every where to catch what might be happing and our doctors examined everyone for any kind of symptom or clue that might lead them to solve the puzzle. But nothing happened.

"Then as the weeks of searching passed, we began to find the body parts of missing creatures. Then we found whole bodies. What was strange was that if you left them alone they would be gone in a matter of minutes. Some of our soldiers reported getting the feeling that they had interrupted something whenever they found bodies.

"Then a few days ago, I was out leading a patrol when we came upon a fight already in progress. We joined the brawl but were quickly beaten down. The creature moved with such great speed, I could not identify what she was. Others might have been able to identify her but, had it not been for Aurora forcing me out, there were no survivors." Luxa hung her head in dismay and fingered the scar on her right leg.

"How many died?" Gegor asked, nervously putting his hand on Luxa's shoulder.

"One hundred." She did not look up but merely placed her hand on Gregor's.


	4. A new arrival

**Sorry it took so long to update, but here you go**

Gregor walked in a trance like state to the museum not believing anything that had just happened. _My Sister, suggest we chase after twenty foot cats. My sister! _

"_I may not know what her troubles are but I do know we have to find her."_ Lizzie had said. Gregor remembered her expression the most. She didn't bear the pouty look of a child her age but instead had a light in her eyes that made her seem like a woman five times her age. She had kept her voice steady and stared Luxa and Gregor in the eye.

* * *

"_I could care less what your reasons are for going Overlander, so long as we find her and make her pay for the crimes she has committed!"Luxa growled._

"_But Gregor you swore to your mother you would return to her if any fighting happened. Would this not break your promise?" Howard said as he stepped into their circle._

"_I haven't seen any fighting. I haven't even seen a weapon pulled." All three people turned their heads towards Lizzie. Even Ripred swiveled his head over her shoulder to view her face._

"_What?" she shrugged "We're only finding her and if possible bringing her back. There won't be any fighting and if there is will leave as soon as possible. Right Gregor?" Lizzie asked a sweet, innocent smile on her face. Gregor just stared. Stunned by what had come out of his sisters mouth. "Right Gregor?" Lizzie prompted again, this time with a pleading look in her eyes._

"_Yeah, yeah if we see any fighting we'll leave." Gregor choked out, his eyes glued to his sister. Luxa snapped out of her temporary stupor and jumped on the opportunity._

"_Gregor go to the museum immediately to get any supplies you might need. Do you wish to take Boots with you like you have before? I believe it wise to leave them both here. While you decide that I will…"_

"_I am going with you." Lizzie said. "And don't try to stop me." Lizzie warned as she saw her brother open his mouth to object._

"_Quite a tongue you have there" Ripred commented as he rubbed Lizzie's shoulder. "Careful you don't bite it." Gregor transferred his gaze from Lizzie to Ripred in confusion. He couldn't figure out what he meant but Lizzie must have for she nodded in agreement._

"_It'll be dangerous are you sure? You don't have to." Gregor tried to get his sister out of it but she refused. She turned to Ripred and asked him to take her where she could be of help for the trip. Without a word, he dipped his body down, let her climb on and ran out of the room._

"_Dulcet," Gregor looked over at the kind Underlander who had just entered the room. "Would you mind packing up some things for Boots." Gregor sighed. There was no use leaving her behind._

"_Right away, Gregor." Dulcet made a slight bow and left._

"_You need to start your preparation. The sooner we leave the better a chance we have of catching those creatures." Luxa said nudging the crown on her head as she headed out to prepare for the voyage._

* * *

Now Gregor was left pondering what had just happened. When he reached the museum door his head was spinning in so many ways he was glad he had to focus on finding supplies. "Well, first I'll need a bag" he mumbled to himself "Then flashlights and batteries." He quickly glanced around the room until his eyes spotted a neat pile of leather, fake animal skins, and denim. Sure enough it was an assortment of various purses and backpacks. He rummages through the pile till he found a black, oval shaped backpack whose single strap slipped over your head and allowed for both arms to be free. It took him longer to find the batteries and flashlights he needed.His last five visits here had severely depleted the supply.

As he walked up and down the rows in his search, he found large quantities of canned meats and other things his mother called "non-perishables" that he knew where safe to eat. He put as many in his bag as he could carry. _Better to be safe than sorry. Especially knowing our luck,_ he thought to himself. _I guess that's everything. _

He began to head to the door when a bright jade box caught his eye. It had ornate sides, stubby little legs, and movable pieces on the top but no latch or lock to open it with. In fact it looked like one large piece of jade with no seam to show where the lid was.

"Gregor? Are you still in here?" Luxa's voice disrupted his train of thought. He quickly put the box in his bag and headed toward the front of the museum.

"What up Luxa?" Luxa glanced at the ceiling and then back at Gregor. Her eyebrows furrowed and she pulled her mouth down in a frown of pure confusion. Before she could open her mouth to ask what he meant, Gregor explained, "It means…what's going on, how are you, that kind of thing."

"Oh." She nodded her acknowledgment. "All is well with me. I came down to speed up your preparations. The longer we wait the harder it will be to find those…those…cats! Are you finished packing? Yes ? Good. then…" Luxa continued to speak about where he was to go but Gregor had stopped listening to the exact words. Gregor had known how he felt about Luxa for a long time now. Being cooped up in a bed for two months gave him plenty of time to think about the past adventures and when it came to Luxa he could only think of one thing.

"Gregor, Gregor, are you listening to…" Gregor reached out and kissed Luxa. He could feel her warm breath, hear her surprise and almost picture the look on her face, yet neither one moved. Then just as fast as it occurred it ended, with Luxa watching Gregor run down the hall._ His lips are quite soft_, Luxa quietly thought to herself with a blush beginning to spread across her body.

******************************************************************************  
Gregor ran around the docks packing up the bats that were coming on the journey. "Why aren't we taking the boats?" he asked a large white bat he was packing swords on. Instead of answering though, the bat gently nudged Gregor in Lizzie's direction. Lizzie waved at Gregor who gladly approached. "So what's all this about?" he asked her.

"You'll have to excuse Cancer, he can't talk." _So that's why he didn't speak to me. _"We can't use the boats because a few hundred yards down the cats turned away from the river into a series of large caverns."

"Oh." Gregor looked behind him, _who is watching me? _Gregor had felt eyes on him since he entered the docks, but he could never find a source for them_. "_How do you know the cats turned away from the river?" Lizzie shivered a little at the question.

"Because… because we found her blood going that way. Ripred had given her a nasty cut when he undid her ties and we can see the result just barely on the cave floor, but all the bats and Ripred say they can smell it." _She is too brave for a little girl_, Gregor though as he gave Lizzie a hug. _Where are you?!_ He swiveled his head around as he felt the eyes pierce him again. He could find no eyes on him but he did see Luxa approach.

"Hello Overlanders." Luxa greeted. Lizzie giggled by Gregor's side and slowly slipped away. Luxa's skin became redder than before. She was about to speak when Gregor swiveled his head around. "Scorpio, you should not cling to the shadows. I promise there is nothing to be scared of." Luxa said. Slowly out came a little bat, just barely old enough to start training. She was pitch black in color except for a small tuff of fur on her chest which was white. Gregor couldn't take his eyes off the little bat; there was something about her that he recognized though he had never seen her before.

"I am she called Scorpio, daughter of the great fliers Aries and Draco."

**Please review. Can't fix what I don't know is broken and can't keep what I don't know is good**


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